Stars Burn to Ashes

An Lingyan, heir to the Marquis of Ning’an, was misled from a young age and developed a distorted understanding of love, keeping the company of male confidants at the estate. At sixteen, he was forced to marry Lin Chenxing, an overlooked daughter of a Duke’s family. On their wedding night, the Old Madam arranged for them to consummate the marriage. At odds with his own feelings, An Lingyan resented Lin Chenxing. Afterward, he treated her coldly and harshly, even humiliating her in public. Lin Chenxing only wanted a peaceful life, so she quietly navigated the household’s affairs.

An Lingyan went to war twice. When he returned from his first campaign and saw their eldest child’s first birthday, he accused Lin Chenxing of “scheming to have a child” and became even harsher toward her. He didn’t relent even when she became pregnant again. During his second campaign, he was badly wounded after being set up by the Duke’s family. At the same time, the old marquis died, the family lost its title, and they were exiled to the countryside. In their ruin, An Lingyan took out his resentment on Lin Chenxing, leaving her with a chronic ailment. Later, when he happened to meet a woman who stirred his heart, Lin Chenxing realized he wasn’t attracted only to men, and her heart died completely.

An Lingyan secretly contacted his former subordinates and plotted a comeback, eventually returning to the capital and reclaiming his title. Only then did he see clearly how Lin Chenxing had single-handedly held the marquis’s estate together, cared for the young and old, and dealt with the nobility, all while being looked down on by the capital’s elite and exploited by the Duke’s family. Now pregnant for the third time, her body was already at its limit.

Guilt awakened An Lingyan, and he came to his senses, doing everything he could to cherish and protect Lin Chenxing. Together, they schemed to settle old scores with the Duke’s family and seize power at court. A former abuser learned to treasure her, while the “substitute bride” he had once trampled on grew into a partner at his side. From hatred to scheming, from scheming to tenderness, the couple ultimately protected both the marquis’s family legacy and the dignity and deep love they shared for the rest of their lives.